1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to hand tools, and more particularly, to an extendable utility bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous pry bars, sometimes also referred to as demolition tools or crow bars, are known that are multipurpose or multifunctional tools. However, most of these fail to provide such essential features for such bars, generally and for extendable bars specifically, like safety, ease of use, durability and convenience of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,700 discloses a telescoping demolition tool. The tool is designed for impact hammering, impact pulling and prying is provided with an elongate handle defining a passage extending therethrough and first and second rods inserted at respective ends of the handle. The first rod is slidably engaged within the handle and includes a hook at its outer end. The second rod is fixedly secured within the handle and includes a chisel at one end. The chisel can be used for impact chiseling or prying by sliding the first rod to a retracted position, such that its inner end collides with the inner end of the second rod. The hook may used for impact pulling by lifting the handle away from the hook into an expanded position in which the first rod is prevented from leaving the handle by a stopping mechanism. To increase leverage for prying, the tool may be extended to the expanded position. The stopping mechanism is within the handle so that the risk of injury to the user is reduced. However, the tool is not provided with any means for selecting and fixing the axial length of the tube in any one of a plurality of predetermined lengths that may be most appropriate or convenient for any specific application, job or project. The patent doesn't disclose a specific locking mechanism or details of locking (stopping) mechanism that will lock the two telescoping members relative to each other and provide safety and durability of the tool during heavy duty usage other than hammering or impact pulling. To the contrary, the very disclosure and intended function of the tool is to allow only relative axial movements of the two telescoping tubes.
Other patents that disclose multi-functional pry bars include U.S. Pat. Nos. 585,123; 5,938,177; 6,415,468; 6,913,246 and 6,986,504). However, these patents disclose pry bars that are either fixed in length or have complicated designs that are costly or inconvenient to use. Because some applications or projects require short utility bars due to space considerations and some require longer bars for added leverage where space considerations permit, manufacturers have frequently offered customers two or more utility bars that are sold together as a set in which the different bars of the set are each of a different fixed length so that the user can select one bar of the set having a desired length for a specific project or job. However, such multi-bar sets use more material, are more costly, heavier to carry and ship and occupy more storage space.